Dog Walking
by Twin-Lupus
Summary: Dogwalker AU. Soul thinks he can handle walking Oni. He can't.
1. Chapter 1

**So I have so many projects to be working on, but this just demanded to be written! Never fear, all my other projects will be finished, but I hope you enjoy this in the meantime!**

* * *

Soul heard his second alarm go off and he groaned, clutching his pillow closer to his face. He didn't wanna go, dammit. It was Wednesday, which meant it was an Oni day. _Fuck_.

He slammed his hand down on the blaring alarm clock and blearily opened his eyes. 10:30am. Damn. Okay, he knew it was a little ridiculous that someone needed an alarm to wake up at 10:30 in the morning, but he was a night owl; he couldn't help it. He dragged himself upright, scrubbing his face with his hands. He let out a sigh and his hands fell to his lap. Glaring in the harsh light of his sixth story apartment, Soul absentmindedly rubbed a hand across the large scar bisecting his chest. There was a reason he didn't like that dog.

Getting _impaled_ on a fucking fence did not endear the animal to him.

He stood up, sleeping pants riding low on his hips. He stumbled to his chest of drawers, yawning so wide his jaw cracked. He started to rummage through his shirts, trying to sniff out a clean on.

It hadn't been Oni's _fault_, not really. The dog was just really excitable and the lure of being able to chase a cat had been too much to resist, so Oni had dragged Soul and the six other dogs he'd been walking across three lanes of traffic (Soul's terrified shrieks to "_Heel!"_ completely ignored) until Soul had made a painful acquaintance with the fence. Oni had seemed apologetic afterward as Soul had been hoisted onto the stretcher, swearing forcefully, but the dog's cautious licks were not going to pay his medical bills. His boss Marie had had to meet them there, her blonde hair up in a harried bun, so that she could finish the walk and return all the dogs to their respective owners.

What Soul really needed to do was walk Oni alone; he wasn't meant for group walks. But his _bitch_ of an owner Medusa insisted that he "needed the socialization." Marie was too fearful of losing her wealthiest customer to argue the point. Soul might have actually _believed_ Medusa really did just want her dog to have friends if not for her positively evil grin every time Soul came to collect her check. That woman was a _snake,_ and if Soul didn't desperately need this job, he would have flipped her the bird and bounced the fuck out of there.

He pulled on what he hoped was a clean T shirt, folding his arms inside it to pull his mop of pale hair through last, and exchanged his pajama pants for boxers and jeans. Soul unlocked his phone and scanned the list of dogs he needed to go get that morning, pressing the heel of his free hand into his eyes to banish sleep from them. He let out a sigh and walked across his tiny studio to mash the buttons on his coffee maker.

Twenty minutes later, Soul was caffeinated and on his way to his first pick up. He brought out the large ring of keys he used to get into his clients' homes to let it jangle merrily against his hip. Today wasn't a bad day; only five dogs. But with Oni, anything could happen.

Soul approached the Gorgon building, the first four dogs walking sedately in front of him. He tied their leashes in an expert knot around the fence outside and climbed the marble steps. Sliding the key into the door's lock triggered something to slam against the front door, agitated barking following the _fwump_ against the wood. "Just me, buddy," Soul said in a monotone, barely audible over the booming barks of the dog on the other side. He turned the key and immediately put his hand down to catch around the collar of the dog before it could push past him.

Oni was all wiggles and drool, and Soul couldn't help but smile as he ran a hand over the dog's cropped ears. He wasn't a _bad_ dog, although Oni's tail knocking the fancy umbrella stand to the floor with an ominous crack didn't really help his case. Soul righted the stand without looking too closely so he could later feign innocence if it was broken and grabbed Oni's leash, hanging neatly on a peg by the door. He let Oni scrabble in excitement across the polished floors for about 45 seconds before catching him and snapping the latch of the leash.

Back in the sunlight, Oni struggled against the leather lead, completely oblivious to Soul's steady refrain of "Heel. Heel. Heel. Heel." Soul managed to untie the other leashes, but it was difficult because Oni kept yanking his other arm away from him as the dog tried to get started on the walk. Eventually Soul succeeded, bent over in half as he held onto all the leads.

Oni walked twice the distance the other dogs did, weaving back and forth and occasionally tangling all their leashes, causing Soul to stop and curse while he undid the knots. Oni was honking and gasping for breath, he was pulling so hard against his collar, yet he wore the dopiest dog grin possible, and Soul rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the mutt. There were a few lunges at some brazen squirrels, but the canine was quickly distracted by other smells, so Soul was able to maintain control.

One of the other dogs squatted primly, and Soul waited while it finished its business, reaching into his pocket for a bag. He pulled out only two very wrinkly ones. _Fuck_. He had forgotten to restock. Tossing one of his precious bags in the trash, Soul glanced around. His normal route consisted of walking down a stretch of green that ran the length of the city, but there were some convenience stores a few blocks away. Those sidewalks, however, were much more populated than the thin path that wound its way between the trees, and that just spelled danger. But Marie was extremely strict about "elimination retrieval" and he knew if she ever found out he didn't pick up after one of their dogs, she'd skin him alive. He turned the dogs towards the main street. The first four obediently followed, but Oni, no doubt thrilled at the prospect of new territory to explore, started galloping against the leash, nails scraping against the concrete.

"God damn it, Oni, _heel_," Soul demanded, but the mongrel paid him no mind as he dragged Soul and the other dogs along with him. They barreled their way through passerby, Soul calling apologies over his shoulder as people dove out of the way of the oncoming mass of canine. It was like being in a car with no brakes. Soul narrowly avoided smacking into a streetlamp pole, cursing loudly. A woman pushing a baby stroller gave him a scandalized look, but Oni galloped him past her before Soul could retort.

About two blocks ahead, Soul could see a CVS. There was a bike rack in front of it. He could probably manage to grab onto it and that combined with his and the other dogs' weight should slow Oni down, and he could wrap the leashes around it while he popped in to grab some more doggy bags, Ziploc bags if need b-

"Augh!"

They had been passing in front of a coffee shop, and a young woman with her nose buried in a book had somehow _not noticed_ the crazed herd of dogs barreling down on her. Oni leapt up, paws against her silk blouse, and her coffee cup went flying. Soul tripped forward and smacked his forehead painfully against hers. The other dogs, startled by Soul's loud cry of anguish, starting circling the two, tangling them tighter and tighter together, both soaked in what was (thankfully) iced coffee.

"Shit, I'm-"

"Oh my god-"

"Man, I'm really sorry—"

"Could you-"

Soul pried his eyes open, trying to keep chilled mocha out of them, and noticed a thin woman far too close to him. She was bent at an awkward angle, and it took Soul a minute to figure out why. "_Oni!_" He dragged the dog back as best he could, extracting the mutt's face from under the woman's skirt.

"Shit, I am so sorry, really, shit, lemme buy you another coffee or like another shirt or something – _Oni! Stop that!_ – oh man, I really, really am sorry-"

The woman looked up, eyes finally meeting his, and Soul found himself opening and closing his mouth like a fish. They were a verdant green, wide and intelligent, and he suddenly felt very rumpled in his questionably clean T shirt and unwashed jeans, covered in a healthy coat of coffee.

She burst out laughing. Soul let out a weak chuckle as the woman broke down into helpless giggles, stiffening slightly as she leaned against his chest. Oni, clearly happy because people were happy, wagged his tail so that it thumped hollowly against Soul's wet pant leg. The young woman finally seemed to compose herself, giggles weak and breathy as she straightened, oblivious to the strange looks the passerby were giving them as they steered well around the messy writhing mass of dogs. She tried to wipe her eyes, but she only managed to smear coffee across her face, and she started laughing again.

"I'm really sorry," Soul said hoarsely, staring at her.

"I know," she said, gulping for air. "I know. It's fine! It's fine. I wasn't watching where I was going." She looked at him again. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but your clothes..." he said, glancing down at her soaked shirt. It was white, and he could see the faint outline of a black lacy bra, and he firmly moved his eyes to her face. The woman glanced down.

"I can dryclean it. No problem."

"I can pay for that!" Soul said quickly.

"It's fine!" she said, smiling at him again. "Really, I am not mad, you don't have to look so scared."

Soul cursed every blood vessel in his face for making his cheeks glow. "I know, but we have a budget for any problems that happen while we're walking the dogs-"

"You mean these aren't all yours?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"No! Of course... oh," he said, as she laughed again.

"I was kidding. It's quite an eclectic little group of puppies," she said, leaning slightly to rub Oni's coffee-drenched head while Soul struggled to remember the definition of "eclectic" – _why_ did he drop out of college, again? "Especially this little darling. What's his name?"

"Oni. And he's a brat."

"This little angel?" she asked, her voice playful.

"More like a little demon," Soul muttered darkly.

"Aww!" she said, sounding amused. "Well, let me get a better look at this brat." She smiled cheekily at him. "You're gonna have to untangle us, though."

"I- shit, hold on," he mumbled, twisting and pulled at all the various leashes. After some maneuvering that he _refused_ to compare to dancing _at all_, he managed to free them, and the woman squatted down, her pencil skirt sliding over her knees. Oni began to lap happily at her face, and she chuckled.

"Wow, I have never seen him give so many kisses. Ever."

"What a good boy!" she cooed, scratching at the dog's ears as it tried to wiggle its way into her lap. "Good boy."

"He's a pretty... special dog," Soul reported as the young woman scrubbed at the dog's neck, the extra skin bunching comically around its face. "He's high strung, got a lot of energy. He rarely ever listens to commands."

"Really?" she said, straightening up. She smiled down at Oni. "Sit."

The dog sat neatly on the sidewalk.

Soul gaped. "_How did you do that?_" The woman grinned.

"I get listened to," she said coquettishly. Soul felt his cheeks burn again.

"No seriously, you're the only who can control him. Not even his owners can."

She cocked her head at him. "Guess I'll have to walk them with you more often, then." She brushed at her stiffening coffee-stained clothes. "I might need that job, seeing as how I lost my boss's coffee."

"I can buy you more!" Soul said quickly. She laughed.

"It's fine, it's no worries! I didn't mean it that way." She picked up her purse from where it had fallen (mercifully coffee free; Soul didn't know how much it cost but it looked expensive). "But, um, if you wanna maybe buy me coffee yourself..." she trailed off, meeting his eyes with a playful glint.

Soul felt a smile creep across his face. "Yeah," he said, feeling a little shell-shocked but more determined than ever in his life _not to fuck this up_. "Yeah. As long as you tell me your name, so I know what to tell them to put on the cup." _So stupid Soul, what the fuck were you thinking, what is wrong with you, you idi-_

"Maka," she said, her eyes meeting his, crinkled at the edges where she smiled. "My name is Maka."


	2. Chapter 2

Soul shifted his weight slightly from foot to foot, standing outside the (thankfully) different coffee shop. He tried to steady himself.

Even after ruining one of her outfits, even after making her late to work, Maka wanted to see him. She hadn't been angry at all, and he could barely _believe_ his luck. He wasn't totally sure why she wanted to see him again, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Hi!" he heard from behind him, and he turned. Maka was standing there, looking far more relaxed than she had the first time he'd met her: she wore old jeans and a pink t shirt, and her hair was done up in pigtails.

"Hey," he said, feeling a little awkward. But her grin was wide, and he released a tension in his shoulders he didn't know was there.

"You were here early," she said playfully.

"Nah, only been here a minute," he lied. "Wanna go in?"

They entered the coffee shop. It was homey, with smooth wooden tables and low benches and the music that wafted out of the speakers was something with a lot of ukeleles. They approached the counter, and after a friendly disagreement as to who would pay (Soul won), they picked a table in the corner and settled in.

Maka made for an excellent conversation partner; she was lively and engaged, and she asked enough questions without being nosy. She was only a bit older than him, and hadn't been working at her current job – at the publishing company, apparently – for very long. She loved reading, so she was excited to be in the industry. She also loved working out, trying new foods, and playing video games.

She also _really_ loved dogs.

"I'm so jealous!" she said, playing with the spoon in her large mug. "You get to play with puppies every day."

"'Play' might be pushing it, but it is a pretty sweet deal," Soul chuckled. "But uh, yeah, not exactly raking in the big bucks."

"Yeah, but in this economy?" said Maka, waving her hand airily. "It's almost impossible to find anything. What's your degree in?"

"Uh, never finished, actually."

"Oh! Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"No, it's fine, no problem. Yeah, I really should have, but I just... I couldn't stay there without knowing what I wanted to do with my life. It just felt, I dunno, not quite right."

"No! I understand." She met his gaze, and she seemed sincere. "I thought about quitting at one point. My parents finally separated, and it was kinda messy. I did stick it out, but I know the feeling. It's not a problem at all." Maka suddenly looked sheepish. "I mean, I'm not saying that, like, this is gonna turn into anything. Like that it matters what I think at this point. I mean, it's fine either way. Ugh," she said as Soul laughed, putting her face in her hands.

"I gotcha. I'm having a good time too," he said as she lifted her reddened face. She shook her head, smiling slowly, but she still looked a little embarrassed. "So what kind of music are you into?"

The conversation flowed from that point on. It went a little too well, because when Soul looked up to peer out of the small window, he was shocked to see that the sun had set.

"Shit!" he said, and Maka looked over to where he was staring.

"Oh wow!"

"I'm sorry, I hope you didn't have anywhere to be today."

"Nope! No, I'm fine. I just have to have dinner at some point."

"...Wanna grab some?"

They gathered their things and headed up the stairs into the darkening city. Soul pulled out his smart phone and they spent a few minutes looking over their options in the immediate area. Maka wrinkled her nose at Soul's suggestion for sushi ("Really?! What?!") but they eventually agreed upon a small Indian restaurant. It was only a few blocks away, and they were seated immediately.

Maka ordered a merlot, and Soul ordered a Corona, and the conversation went even more smoothly. They ate with gusto, arguing jokingly over who would get the last piece of naan (Maka won), and Maka requested a box to take her leftovers home in (while she marveled over the fact that Soul had finished – "Where do you _keep_ it all?").

"Wow!" Maka exclaimed, checking her phone as they stepped into the cool night air. "We've been at this for eight hours."

"Shit. I _really_ hope you didn't have anything to do today."

"Nope! I got to do exactly what I want, which is meet someone really interesting. I haven't talked that long with someone since... well, ever."

"Me neither. I mean, I'm sure my brother and I have argued about something for that amount of time, but probably not all at once. God, he could be such an ass. I should call him." Maka laughed. "So are you okay going home this late? Should we call a cab?"

"Oh! No need, I live really close. A couple blocks in that direction." She gestured.

"Mm, yeah but I hate to have you be by yourself..."

"Are you asking to walk me home?" she asked coyly, hip checking him slightly. It was the first time (since their fateful and _damp_ first encounter) that they had touched, and Soul felt a small thrill run up his spine.

"All right, yes, I'll feel better if I walk you home."

"Okay!" she said, and took off down the street. "Try to keep up." He chuckled and jogged to meet her.

"I think I can handle it."

"Oh, I dunno! I can keep up a pretty fast pace."

"Yeah, but what do I do for a living? I _walk_. You are not any more of a challenge to keep up with than Oni."

"Are you comparing me to one of your dogs?"

"I mean, you do have these floppy dog ears," he said, batting at one of her pigtails.

"I'll have you know that pigtails are very in these days."

"It's in to have floppy dog ears?"

"Gimme that," she said, grabbing her hair out of his grasp. "You lost hair privileges."

"Already?"

"Yeah, you're not off to a good start."

They bickered playfully for another few blocks, passing from light to shadow as they wended their way under the streetlamps. Soul couldn't tell how much the beer was affecting him (it had only been one, of course) or if it was Maka that was making him giddy. Her laughter was infectious, and she seemed to be enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying hers.

"This is me," she said, indicating one of the buildings. They climbed the steps together, suddenly shy.

"Well," he said, shifting from foot to foot again.

"I had a really great time today, Soul," Maka said in a rush.

"Yeah, me too. It's nice to talk with someone... yeah."

"Getting tired of talking to your dogs?" she teased.

"I've been spending so much time with them lately, I am starting to have conversations with them," Soul chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sounds like you're becoming one of them," Maka said lightly, leaning forward almost imperceptibly.

"I guess so."

"Guess that makes you a real _dog_, huh?" She smirked, her eyes lidded.

"Maybe."

"Maybe, or definitely?"

Soul suddenly leaned forward and swiped his tongue across Maka's cheek. Before she could react, he thundered down the steps and into the gloom of the nigh. He galloped the length of the block until he stopped, turning back to look at her darkened stoop. She was still standing there, frozen in place. His heart pounded in his chest until she found her voice and shrilled into the night, "_Come back here and give me a real kiss, you ass!"_

"No!"

"_Why not?"_

"Because you have to wait for the second date!"

"Wh-"

"Insurance!" he shouted, and turned on his heel, running as her laughter carried to his ears through the still night air.


	3. Chapter 3

"Marie, _really_?"

His boss's harried voice carried through the phone, high and tinny. "I'm so so sorry Soul. This wasn't my intention, but I am already told my mother I'd be there, and Stein took off of work specifically-"

"No, I know." He scrubbed his face with his free hand. "This has got to be against your rules."

"Not exactly. Certainly, she's _bending_ them, but breaking them..."

Soul sighed. "Fine. Fine, whatever. I'll be there at four."

Marie sighed audibly. "Thanks, Soul."

At 4:10pm, Soul climbed the large marble steps of Medusa Gorgon's brownstone, hands dug deep into his pockets and shoulders hunched against the autumn chill. He pressed a cold finger to the small glowing doorbell, and large booming barks echoed from behind the ornate door. After a long pause, the lock slid back and the door swung open to reveal a thin woman in a short black dress.

"Mr. Evans," she purred, her lips curling upwards into a smirk. "How are you this weekend?"

"Fine," Soul tried to reply, but two large paws hit him squarely in the stomach, and he struggled to remain upright. "Hi, Oni," he wheezed, rubbing the dog's thick neck.

"I'm so very sorry this is so last minute," Medusa said, not sounding sorry at all, "but something came up. I am so glad Marie allows for dogsitting as part of her business. It makes it so much easier to make plans." Soul shot her a sharp look, but her face was inscrutable.

"Yeah," he said sullenly. "Well, lemme grab his leash and I'll get out of your hair."

"What a good boy," she said coyly. Soul felt a chill drop down his spine. She didn't move out of the way as he walked by her to grab the thick lead hanging off a hook in the entrance way. "I've got food and treats at my place, so no worries about that..." He clipped the leash to Oni's collar, and the dog started tugging on his arm, clearly expecting a walk.

Medusa eyed him, hands on her hips. "I do hope you didn't have any plans yourself this weekend," she said, looking almost delighted at the prospect.

Soul gritted his teeth. "Nope," he said.

Maka picked up after the first ring.

"Hi! I'm almost done here at the office, then I'll run home and change and grab my-"

"Maka, wait."

"-bags and we can hit the road! Wait, what?"

Soul closed his eyes, but this was a bad idea because he was still en route to his apartment with Oni, who was dragging him along, panting and wheezing as he strained against his collar. "Maka, I am so so sorry, but we can't go to the cabin this weekend."

"What?"

"The client from hell, Medusa, called Marie this afternoon and demanded that someone watch her dog this weekend. Marie told her mother she'd help her move into a smaller apartment, and her boyfriend took the weekend off for her, and we just fired Kim two weeks ago, so we're short staffed... I'm so sorry Maka, but I have to watch him."

"Does the timeshare not allow pets?"

Soul winced. "Yeah, the owners of the cabin are really strict about that. When we were kids, they didn't even let my brother bring his rabbit one summer."

"So we won't get to see the leaves change? And go to that wine-tasting party? And the corn roast?"

"I'm so sorry Maka."

She was silent, and Soul felt icy fingers close around his heart. He felt the knot in his stomach grow; he had wanted to take this trip to his parents' timeshare as much as she did. He had been looking forward to getting out of the city, he had been excited to show Maka the cabin he'd enjoyed so much as a kid, and he had especially been looking forward to getting laid (her not-so-subtle hints at bringing lingerie had gotten him more riled up than he cared to admit). But most of all, he didn't want to disappoint Maka, a woman he'd fallen in love with in a disturbingly short amount of time. He still hadn't _said_ this to her, but a romantic evening in a cozy cabin with a bottle of wine might have induced him to; now he'd be spending the weekend in his apartment, alone, trying to keep Oni off the couch.

"White or red?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"For dinner tonight. We'll just have a mini-vacation at your place. We can always go another weekend, even though it won't be peak leaf season and the weather will be colder and this is the only long weekend until Thanksgiving. But it's fine! We'll make the most of it."

"Are you sure? I am so sorry, really Maka-"

"Soul, I know. It's fine. I mean, okay, yes, I am definitely disappointed and I want to strangle that woman because you _know_ she did this on purpose, but my mother always told me there's no use dwelling in the past, and I won't. Besides, we've been meaning to watch all those movies, and now we finally can."

"You're positive?"

"Yes, definitely. So white or red?"

Soul felt a grin spread across his face even as Oni got himself tangled in a bush. "Whatever you like."

Oni tried to climb the stairs to Soul's apartment as fast as he could, but as he was still attached to the leash, he tripped and slammed his face into the carpet. Soul winced, but the dog seemed to be made of steel, because he just stood up and tried to leap up the stairs again. Following the dog's lead, Soul took the stairs two at a time, reaching the sixth floor landing with a thud. Oni strained against the leash, eager to explore new territory, but Soul dragged him over to his door. He struggled to remove the right key while Oni paced back and forth, nose to the ground and tail wagging quickly.

"Okay buddy," Soul said as the lock clicked open, "I need you to behave yourself. Maka's coming over, and my landlord will kill me if you break anything in here." He opened the door and unclipped the lead.

Oni burst over the threshold, scrabbling across the hardwood floors like a russet blur. "Oni!" Soul shouted, but to no avail. The crazed dog scrambled against the floor, and Soul rushed forward and threw open the door to his closet. He frantically dug through the pile of hats and scarves that littered the floor. Finally he unearthed four little red booties, and he ran to intercept the excited animal.

They flopped to the floor, Soul struggling to get the boots on his feet and Oni struggling to keep running, but in the end, Soul won. Oni shook himself as Soul released him. He looked down to stare at his feet. Soul watched him blink confusedly at the boots for a full minute before the dog threw himself to the ground and began to wiggle across the floor, picking up where he had left off in his race around the tiny studio apartment, except this time shuffling on his side. Briefly, Soul debated the situation, but as Oni was no longer threatening to scratch his floors, he let him wiggle across the floor.

He walked to the fridge. There was nothing too special inside: some Chinese leftovers, a few beers, a large bowl of pasta he'd been slowly chipping away at, and a half empty carton of milk. He thought he might have a few instant meals hidden somewhere, but his appetite was suddenly and soundly put off as Oni vomited at his feet.

At 8pm precisely, a buzz rang out through Soul's apartment. He raced to the intercom. "Hello?"

"Let me up!" sang Maka's voice through the gravelly speaker. Soul pressed the button, and she hung up on her end. Soul turned around.

"We're having guests," he told the dog sternly. "We're done playing tug-o-war."

Oni merely panted at him, rope at his booted feet.

There was a knock on the door, and Soul opened the door to reveal his flushed girlfriend, slightly winded from the stairs.

"I got a bottle of rosé instead," she said, stepping into the studio. "I just couldn't make up my mind."

"Sounds good," grinned Soul.

"Hi baby!" Maka cried as Oni pounced, wiggling and whining his pleasure. "How are you? Yes baby hi! Hi there! Yes I am here! Yes we are gonna have a great weekend! Hi! Hi! What's with the boots?" she asked, turning to Soul.

"He was scratching up my floor," he grumbled.

"Were you scratching the floor? Were you doing that?"

Oni was grinning his sloppy puppy grin, and Soul couldn't help but smile; Maka's arrival usually provoked that kind of reaction in him too. She set her bags down so she could properly massage the dog's face, and his tail wagged in big happy circles.

After a very thorough hello that took about half an hour, Maka and Soul prepared a makeshift dinner (half of which went over Maka's shoulder and down Oni's throat) and took their plates and their wine glasses to his coffee table, settling themselves on the couch. Oni followed closely, ears pricked towards the plates.

They scrolled through Netflix and found a movie. It was somewhat difficult to watch the screen and eat their dinners at the same time, because Oni kept nosing into the plates, trying to steal bites while they were distracted. Maka gave in and put the mostly empty plates on the ground, and Oni set to work on them, determined to get every last molecule of food.

Soul leaned back and flung an arm across the couch. Maka snuggled into the crook of his shoulder, and they settled in. The movie seemed far less interesting now that they were alone in the apartment together. Soul found himself idly playing with her hair, twirling the strands around his fingers and watching it cascade down her neck. She put a hand on his knee and gave a small squeeze.

He turned to her. A small smile played at her lips, so enticing that he had to put his own over hers. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, and Soul felt a thrill run through his stomach. Maka's tongue ran across his bottom lip and he parted his lips to allow her entrance. She tasted like the wine.

Soul felt something warm on the top of his thigh. He reached down to take her hand, but instead was met with something cold and wet. He jumped, breaking the kiss.

Oni had wormed his head between their legs, peering up at them mournfully. Soul pushed on his head, but the dog was 90 pounds of pure muscle, so it was futile. Maka giggled, and Soul leaned back over to nip at her smiling lips. She grinned wider, and they kissed again.

A padded paw smacked Soul in the face. He grunted, and saw that Oni had propped himself up, looking at them and using his front paws to get attention. Soul tried to nudge his chest away, but to no avail. Maka closed the gap between them, and they tried again.

No such luck. Oni seemed to have decided he was done waiting for an invitation, and climbed up between them, using his massive shoulders to push them apart. He turned around, tail lifted into Soul's face, then settled in with a sigh, having separated the two humans by about three feet. Maka giggled and played with his ears.

So much for sex.


End file.
